Russell Thornton was born in North Vancouver. After living for extended periods in Montreal, Wales, and Greece, Russell returned to his home town, where he currently lives and writes. Russell is the author of six previous collections of poetry, including The Hewed Out Light, (Borealis Press, 1984) and With Our Bodies We Write the Name of Light, (Green Man Publishing, 1997). His work has also appeared in several anthologies and in such literary magazines as Canadian Literature, Event, The Fiddlehead, and The Malahat Review. Russell has recently been honoured with the 1998 Editor's Choice in Arc, 's Poem of the Year contest, and an Honourable Mention in The Fiddlehead, 's FiddleSEX contest (1998).

Distinguished by its lyricism, depth of emotion, its metaphysical bent and the colour and wide range of reference in its imagery, The Fifth Window, opens up new vistas of language and experience. The landscape and climate of Vancouver and the BC coast imbue this collection with a spiritual and physical immediacy and energy. The area's trees, mountains, rivers, creeks and rain inform an ecstatic vision in which the psyche and natural world meet and become one. With this collection Russell Thornton is certainly emerging as one of Canada's premiere poets.